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20 October 2015

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2016 will be announced in Bangkok

Source: Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.

The fourth annual awards ceremony to celebrate Asia’s 50 Best Restaurantswill
be held for the first time in Bangkok, Thailand, on 29 February 2016.

As evidence of Thailand’s growing influence on the region’s culinary scene,
Bangkok restaurants have claimed the No.1 spot on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list
for the last two years. David Thompson’s Nahm took top honours in 2014 while
Gaggan Anand’s eponymous restaurant secured the No.1 spot in 2015. Along with
Gaggan and Nahm, the 2015 list also featured the Bangkok-based restaurants Eat
Me (No. 25), Bo.lan (No. 37) and Issaya Siamese Club (No. 39).

HE Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, says:
“The support of this event is consistent with the national agenda to promote
Thainess, Thai culture, and, in particular, Thai cuisine to the world. It will also
strengthen the country’s strong brand image and differentiate us from other
countries. Moreover, it will prominently feature and position Thailand as a multi-
faceted fine dining destination where visitors are treated to an unimaginable array
of cuisine options prepared by renowned chefs and backed by our warm Thai
hospitality.”

William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants says: “Thailand has
long been recognised for its rich culinary history and traditional street food culture.
In recent years, the country’s vibrant restaurant scene has matured, welcoming
world-class establishments serving a variety of international cuisines. Thailand is
fast establishing itself as one of Asia’s key gastronomic hubs, making it the ideal
country to host the 2016 edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.”

Since launching in 2013, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants has become a trusted guide to the best places to eat around the region. In 2015, changes to
the voting process were introduced to reflect the opinions of over 300 voters
spread throughout Asia and better showcase the diversity of Asia’s culinary scene.
The 2015 list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants featured eight new entries, including
first-time entries from the Philippines (Antonio’s, No. 48) and Cambodia (Cuisine
Wat Damnak, No. 50).

Interested?

Follow the announcements live via Twitter at @Asias50Best on 29 February,
2016. Following the ceremony, the results of the awards will be published at
www.theworlds50best.com/asia.

*Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is created by The Diners Club Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 300 leaders in the restaurant industry across Asia, each selected for their expert opinion of Asia’s restaurant scene. The Academy is divided into six voting regions: India & Subcontinent; South-East Asia – South; South-East Asia – North; Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau; mainland China & Korea; and Japan. The divisions are designed to represent the Asian restaurant scene as fairly as possible at the current time and are agreed with the Academy Chairs. Each region has its own panel of 53 members including a chairperson to head it up. The panel is made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and highly regarded 'foodies'. Each panellist has seven votes. Of the seven votes, at least three must be used to recognise restaurants outside of the voter’s home country. For the 2016 edition, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is working with professional services consultancy Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner. The adjudication by Deloitte will ensure that the integrity and authenticity of the voting process and the resulting list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants are protected.